Eggs and Kisses

Chapter 1 “Someone looks grumpy.” Dom glared at the stack of nine-by-twelve canvases he’d taken out of the box and considered ignoring Kiko for a moment before shrugging and responding. “I hate this holiday.” “Don’t we all?” mumbled Kiko, so brief a moment that Dom blinked and looked over his shoulder at him. He was sitting in one of the café chairs in Kiko’s egg-themed niche shop, Yolks on You, and because Kiko was standing, Dom had a good view of his face. While the Latino man was usually upbeat and smiling, at the moment his tawny, well-groomed features were pulled taut. He leaned past Dom and grabbed a canvas. “Really,” said Dom, disbelief instead of question, but Kiko pressed on with his instructions. “Slap a few heart-shaped stickers on each canvas,” he said, peeling several of the stickers from the pile and doing so. “Try to make them look random.” “Can’t the kids do this? Kids like stickers.” “No. It’s too many steps for them,” said Kiko. “And they’ll use too many. If the stickers are already there, all they have to do at Friday’s Eggs and Kisses event is paint.” “And then we remove the stickers,” said Dom, remembering how Kiko had described the activity to him. “Revealing the hearts.” Kiko nodded and yawned. Dom watched him pull back and cover his mouth with a hand. It was Saturday morning and they’d had a very late, very mischievous night. Dom grinned at the memory, skin tingling with desire for a repeat tonight, and started to stand. “Want me to make a pot of coffee?” he asked. Kiko had finally gotten a coffee maker for the staff about a week ago, even though it was only him and Dom who used it. “I’ll do it,” said Kiko, pushing Dom back to the chair. “You concentrate on getting this done so I don’t have to worry about it this week. And thanks.” Dom glanced at the canvas Kiko had done, five perfectly random, white, heart-shaped stickers of various sizes on the blank canvas. He doubted he’d make them look that good, but Kiko couldn’t care about that if he was assigning it to Dom. He moved the finished canvas to a box with an X marked on a flap and grabbed the next off the top of the stack. Since Christmas, the only times he didn’t come into Yolks on You over the weekend were when he was sick or if he was taking care of errands and chores. What with Kiko always at his store, it was easier to snag time together, and Dom was beginning to discover that helping out meant that not only was Kiko free a little earlier most days, but he also seemed less stressed. That led to less bickering and more s*x, and Dom wasn’t about to pass up those benefits. “Hah! You’re doing those this year? Like, the boss didn’t say he promoted me.” Dom didn’t look up from his sticker sticking, not caring to see Chad’s smug face. Kiko’s teenage employee annoyed him a lot and he couldn’t always get away with messing with him when Kiko was around. Chad was scrawny, pale, and blond. He went to college now in Madison, but he drove back to Mount Angus every weekend to visit his mother, Evelyn, who was currently on house arrest. “If I’m doing your job are you sure you still have one?” asked Dom. Chad made a dismissive noise. “Right. Like I’d get fired. Bet you’re pissed ‘cause you don’t have anything planned for Valentine’s Day.” “And what are you doing for Roy?” asked Dom, pleased Chad gave him an in to shift the conversation. Chad shuffled nervously on his feet, still uncomfortable with the mention of the nurse he’d been seeing if it meant anyone in Mount Angus might hear about it. As far as Dom knew, the kid still hadn’t told his mother. “We’re not serious or anything.” “You brought him to Christmas.” “Like, that didn’t count,” said Chad. “And you’re distracting me from packing orders.” Dom hid a smirk as Chad walked off, not wanting Kiko to notice it when he brought him a cup of coffee. But after a moment, he realized Chad had brought up a good point. Dom hadn’t considered doing anything for Valentine’s Day, but if Kiko didn’t like the occasion either, maybe he could get away with teasing him instead. Turn the day into a mockery of it all rather than a celebration. Dom could have fun with that.